Oh–What’s a Teacher to Do?
Starting next Friday, secondary students in my board will be forced to be in a room with about 15 other students they might not know, many of whom will take…
Marie Snyder
Risk Assessment for September
I have two weeks left before going back to school in person. I’ve been writing on social media and sending emails and signing petitions because this plan in Ontario doesn’t…
On a Radical Vision of Future Earth
I grabbed this book, by meteorologist Eric Holthaus, as soon as it went on sale, excited to check out the new vision of how we can all better live together.…
Hedges – the Last Word on Cancel Culture
Having a mass of people able to “cancel” someone in power can seem like a fantastic form of fluid democracy when it shuts down something harmful in a harmless manner,…
Some Paintings
I got on a painting kick this week. I haven’t picked up a brush in years, but, seeing as I have nowhere else to go, I gave it a whirl.…
On Learning History
I made a little history quiz, just for fun, for people to see how much they know about Canada’s history of horrific treatment of Indigenous Peoples as well as our…
On McQuaig’s Sport and Prey
Linda McQuaig’s newest book, The Sport and Prey of Capitalists: How the Rich are Stealing Canada’s Public Wealth, is a fast read full of local history and written as history…
On Laws and Common Sense
I’m thankful that my city council decided to make masks mandatory starting July 13th, even though I know a few, like the Regional Chair herself, were hoping that people could…
Another Rant About Overpopulation Arguments
I don’t actually care that much about overpopulation, not nearly as much as I care about re-regulating industry with climate a top priority and changing economic policy to decrease inequities,…
Found Letters from 1944: Frank and Ray and Johny
My daughter just found an old tin in the back of a cupboard. I have no idea where I got it, but it has two photos and two letters: Frank…
An Eye for an Eye in Cancel Culture
Some finish that with “… leaves the whole world blind,” but that somewhat belies the meaning of the phrase. The idea is that we should never take a drop more…
Eriel Tchekwie Deranger and El Jones on #CancelCanadaDay
Migrants Rights Network hosted an online teach-in for “so called Canada Day” with two revolutionaries: Eriel Tchekwie Deranger, a Dënesųłiné (ts’ékui) member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, and Executive…
Remember Climate Change?
We have a strong survival instinct that has us focus on immediate dangers at the expense of potential long term dangers. So we’ve been immersed in trying to solve Covid19…
In Retrospect: School in the Time of Covid
This video about online learning, “numb” by Liv McNeil, is making the rounds: This has been a difficult time, and the video is cathartic for some. But first a bit…
On Policing: On Finding the Line
A mask, six feet, and being outdoors: pick any two at a time, amirite? Plus wash your hands before and after eating or touching your face. Pretty easy. So, ironically,…
On Policing: Time for Change
In 1982, Milton Friedman advised, “Keep options open until circumstances make change necessary. There is enormous inertia–a tyranny of the status quo–in private and especially governmental arrangements. Only a crisis–actual…
On Policing: Maintaining Institutions
Victoria’s Secret I’m just kicking around the idea of defunding the police and trying to picture how it all works and how we get from here to there to explore…
On Policing: Checking Up or Checking In
Two things happened recently that have me thinking about the nature of policing of one another beyond blue uniforms. It’s that policing attitude I’m questioning. #1. At an online meeting…
On Trans Shitposting and Cancel Culture: Applying ContraPoints to J.K. Rowling
I was going to just ignore all this, but it came up in a discussion on my social media feed, so here’s the thing: Here’s J.K. Rowling‘s now infamous post…
Opening Schools in September
The province is asking for our advice – the public‘s – in how to open schools in September. As much as I value democracy, getting advice on a public health…